Veteran coach Koepke leaves Flick’s Germany set-up
Germany’s new head coach Hansi Flick on Wednesday unveiled his backroom staff with goalkeeping coach Andreas Koepke leaving the national set-up after 17 years to bring “fresh” impulse.
Flick replaced Joachim Loew, who stepped down after 15 years in charge following Germany’s recent exit from Euro 2020 with defeat to England in the last 16.
Flick’s first games in charge will be 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein, Armenia and Iceland in September.
Germany have ground to make up, sitting third in their group and three points behind leaders Armenia, but level with North Macedonia, who stunned the Germans with a shock win last March.
Alongside him on the bench, Flick will have Loew’s former assistant coach Markus Sorg.
As his other assistant coach, Flick has named 32-year-old Danny Roehl, who helped him steer Bayern Munich to the 2019-20 treble of Champions League, German Cup and Bundesliga title.
Flick, Loew’s assistant coach when Germany won the 2014 World Cup, describes Roehl as an “absolute expert” with “a very good CV” and “a very important man for me to have at my side”.
After injuries forced him into early retirement as a player, Roehl started as video analyst for RB Leipzig in 2010.
He then became assistant coach of the U17s and was promoted to the staff of the Bundesliga side under then-head coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.
Roehl then followed him to Southampton after Hasenhuettl became head coach of Premier League side Southampton in 2018.
Read Also: Inzaghi targets UCL improvement for Inter Milan
When Flick was made Bayern head coach in November 2019, Roehl left England to join him in Munich.
Germany are looking for a new goalkeeping coach as Koepke has declared himself “no longer available” after 17 years because “new impulses are now needed” to get the national team “back on track”.
Flick inherits a side low on confidence which only narrowly managed to qualify from their Euro 2020 group before exiting in the last 16 – their worst performance at a European Championship since 2004.